Since forming in 2004—when its members were still in high school—Tennessee-bred quintet Paramore has garnered a contract with pop-punk powerhouse Fueled by Ramen, a Grammy nomination, and a platinum record (2007's Riot!). So we weren't too surprised when their third release, Brand New Eyes, debuted at No. 2 last month. I visited lead vocalist Hayley Williams, recently recovered from an unfortunate bout of laryngitis, and bassist Jeremy Davis, backstage at their sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom gig last week to chat about the album's success, their former funk band, and touring with No Doubt.

What were you trying to achieve with Brand New Eyes?

Hayley: The only thing we really knew was that we wanted to do a better job than we did on Riot! , which is the same goal we've always had—to do better each time.

What was on your mind when you were writing the album?

Hayley: I was really stressing about getting back into band mode and starting to rehearse and write. I realized how much I needed to say about my role in the band, about our roles in each other's lives. It's really a record about friendship and navigating life together and learning that you can't all go about it the same way.

How did it feel to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard charts—behind only Barbra Streisand and ahead of Mariah?

Jeremy: Sales aren't what they used to be, but us even being on the same chart as some massive artists is awkward. Once we saw that we sold more than some of them their first week—we sold more than Eminem did his first week—I was like, "Wait a minute."

What inspired "Ignorance"?

Hayley: "Ignorance" was one of the first songs we completed start to finish. We had been sitting around our rehearsal space for hours, and Josh was really frustrated because I wanted something energetic to get us motivated. He was like, "Listen guys, we're never going to have another `Misery Business'—just get over it." He turns around for a second, and he's in his own little world, and he turns back and starts playing this riff. And I was like, "Well, what's that? Because that'll do just fine."

Hayley: We recorded at Rob Cavallo's house and in Nashville at a studio.

He's produced for Green Day, among other major artists. What was he like?

Jeremy: Rob's incredible, so much fun. He's worked with so many bands that I think going into it, all of us were kind of curious to see how involved he would be. Some of those guys hold their heads high and they're like, "Well, there's a reason why I sold this many records, and it's all over my walls." But he was nothing like that at all. He just seemed like a dad. He was really good at keeping us from stressing ourselves out.

What was it like touring with No Doubt this summer?

Hayley: It was such a dream. I would watch them almost every night, and it never got old. They're so energetic, and I just thought to myself, How long have they been doing this? And they still kill it. For us to be able to share the stage after at least two years of being compared to No Doubt, or hearing "Hayley's going to be like Gwen Stefani," it was good to be on the same tour and show people that we are different. Watch us back-to-back and you're going to see that.

How has your sound evolved since you started out?

Hayley: What's cool is that there is this core that's stayed the same. We play venues now that are a lot bigger—our first show in New York was at the Continental, and some of the same kids who were there, which weren't many, are going to be in the front row tonight. And I think that now more than ever, you can hear each of our personalities coming through our music, and we're not really afraid of that. So if anything, it's a little more fearless, and I hope we continue to do that with every record.

Jeremy: Personally, I've always liked rap and hip-hop and R&B, but there was a time when I was listening only to country. Living in Nashville makes everyone a little versatile, you know? Hayley and I were in an old funk cover band together, so we both have a passion for that kind of music.

Hayley: Yeah, we did Rufus and Chaka Khan, "Tell Me Something Good," and a lot of Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, the Doobie Brothers. The intro to our show was always Average White Band's "Pick Up the Pieces."

Hayley: We always tease that we're going to bust out with some Chaka Khan.

"Decode" was the lead single on last year's Twilight soundtrack. What impact did that have?

Hayley: A huge impact. You have the core kids who are kind of like "We want them to ourselves," but for the most part, those people have stuck around. And then we've gained all of these other fans. I've seen our fan base go from being16 to 20 years old when we started to everyone between 9 or 10 and like 30 to 40, and it's amazing to know that that many people can relate to what you're saying.

Jeremy: You know how if you have two different groups of friends, you don't want them to clash and start fighting? I feel like with our fans—our old-school fans who were there all the time, some of whom have our personal phone numbers because we've been that close with them for so long, and then the fans who've come in from the radio side. But somehow they mix.

Hayley: We're going to be in Nashville, and I'm going to go opening night. It's just getting bigger and bigger, so I'm psyched. The first one was made on such a low budget, so I want to see what it's like now. And Dakota Fanning's in it, and I'm a big fan of her.

What other up-and-coming bands are you into?

Jeremy: Well I really like Paper Route. The Swellers are really good too.

Hayley: We're on tour with both of them! But Paper Route's from our hometown. It's ambient, there are lot of beats, amazing vocals and harmonies, and the show is crazy. I think that both bands kind of represent different sides of our band, which is cool. The Swellers have a lot of fast songs—punk-rock, pop-punk, whatever you want to call it.

What's been your favorite live show?

Jeremy: Scotland, just because it really is like Braveheart. I remember our first couple Scotland shows were our first shows that were just completely nutty, so I always look forward to going back there.

Jeremy: I learned so much when we toured with the Jimmy Eat World guys.

Hayley: I just remember Zach, their drummer, saying "You're never promised another hit record, so just do what you love and what you want, and who cares what happens?" It wasn't even pessimistic; it was just real and honest.